History in Three Keys Essay

History in Three Keys EssayPaul Cohen writes in his book A History of Three Keys that there are three different kinds of historical consciousness; history as an event, written by professional historians, history as an experience, based on people who were alive and involved with the actual event, and history as a myth, a manipulated past to serve in today’s world. This is the only way history is written according to Cohen, three distinct and very different forms of history. He argues them while explaining the events of the Boxer rebellion in China. Cohen argues that the three forms are very different in their very nature and have no bearing on each other. History as a myth has a direct purpose. Cohen writes, “When good historians write history, their primary objective is to construct, on the basis of the evidence available, as accurate and truthful an understanding of the past as possible. Mythologizers, in a sense, do the reverse” (pg.213). I’d like to argue that although these forms of historical consciousness have their differences, they have a distinct bearing upon each other and are greatly intertwined. I’d say that historians and people with direct experience to an event distort history as greatly as mythologizers do.

Take Cohen’s “history as an event” as an example. This kind of history is written by professional historians. Their job is to find the truth about the past. So the historian takes in all kinds of information and tries to make sense of it the best he or she can. Taking the Boxer event, Cohen writes, “The Boxer episode, too, formed part of a plurality of larger event structures, including (but not confined to) the pattern of recurrent domestic violence in the late imperial era, the growing problem of rural breakdown, this history of conflicts between Christians and non-Christians from the mid-nineteenth century on, and Sino-foreign diplomatic relations”(pg.9). He writes that there may be more reasons than the reasons mentioned,...

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

...﻿Byzantines/Islam
Study Guide
Codex Justinianus:
Return of Fugitive Slaves & Coloni, c. 530
To strengthen the laws binding slaves and coloni to the soil precautions were taken to prevent landlords employing fugitives and to ensure their return. Xl.48.xii. We ordain that slaves, or tributaries, or inquilini shall remain with their lords. For, when, dismayed by a fear of Ioss, each landowner begins to drive away those who are unknown to him, the will to flight will not be with the slaves; for no one deserts his lord knowing that there is nowhere a refuge for him as a fugitive. But either each one will employ those known to be free men, or will dismiss him who feigns freedom, fearing that he will be liable to those punishments which are ordained by the law. If, therefore, any
known fugitive be found anywhere, his detainer shall bring to our fisc twelve pounds of silver, but we decree that to him whose slave he is he shall bring another of the same value in addition to that same fugitive.
* The law above comes from what Byzantine Code?
* What is the main idea of the law?
Ibn Battuta: Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354 Jerusalem and its holy sites
Among the grace-bestowing sanctuaries of Jerusalem is a building, situated on the farther side of the valley called the valley of Jahannam [Gehenna] to the east of the town, on a high hill. This building is said to mark the place whence Jesus ascended to heaven.
This is the church of which they are falsely...

...﻿1. Explain the aims of the Big Three when drawing up the peace treaties after WWI.
One of the aims of the Allies was to keep Germany weak so that it would not be able to start any wars again. This aim was particularly important to France, which shared a common border with Germany. The Rhineland, an area between France and Germany, was to be demilitarized to create a buffer zone between Germany and France. Germany was also only allowed to have a small army of 100,000 men. It was also not allowed to have any submarines, tanks or planes. These terms were intended to make Germany so weak that it would not be able to start future wars.
Another aim of the Allies was to make Germany pay for the huge costs of World War One. The war caused unprecedented damage and losses to all parties. Germany was made the scapegoat as it was the loser. The treaty contained the war guilt clause, which made Germany accept the full blame for the war. As a result, it had to pay reparations to the Allies to compensate for war damages. The amount worked out to an astronomical 6,600 million pounds! As the Allies suffered heavy losses, they wanted to make Germany compensate them.
Another aim of the Allies was to prevent a war of this scale from happening again. The countries in Europe were so devastated by the war that they had to spend millions and years to rebuild their countries. To avoid such devastation, the League of Nations was set up to help ensure world peace. The League...

...the Vietcong successes could be argued to be wrong as it could of all been related to the Domino Theory, and this being the only motive for the US Army in the Vietnam War. However it could be argued against that argument, and now to agree with the statement that it is correct by saying the growing successes of the Vietcong was a decisive factor in persuading the USA to escalate. I would agree by bringing in the evidence from the Battle of Ap Bac in 1963. Three Vietcong companies built defensive positions along a mile-long canal connecting Ap Bac with the village of Ap Tan Thoi. The Vietcong dug in behind trees, grass, and shrubs with clear view of the surrounding rice fields. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Seventh Division attacked the position, and although they outnumbered the Vietcong by ten to one, they were defeated. Incompetent officers and terrible morale characterized ARVN. At the end of the battle on January 2, 1963, the ARVN had lost five helicopters and sixty dead, while the Vietcong suffered only three casualties. The Vietcong were truly outnumbered and still managed to win, showing the the US administration that escalation was needed to help prevent the domination of South Vietnam by the communists and a worl wide spread of communism.
I feel that the growing successes of the Vietcong to spark escalation for the US was not a decisive factor, instead I feel it was the Presidents (at this point in time Johnson), not...

...written about whether or not The New Deal prolonged the Great Depression, Burton W. Folsom Jr., is the most sound. Although the New Deal sounded like a great idea in the early 1920’s, it was only an attempt to jump start the economy with the numerous recovery and relief measures. However, it failed to restore economic prosperity. In my opinion, Roosevelt passed too many Acts, which were only temporary into helping the economy and society turn around. Social problems also increased, causing many Americans to choose suicide rather than fighting to live. The New Deal programs did nothing but cause a disaster for the United States of the America, which did prolong the Great Depression.
Citation Page
1. Adams, Steve. “History of the United States” History 17B. - Issue 3: “Were the Entrepreneurs “Robber Barons?” California State University Sacramento.
2. US Department of the State, “Smoot-Hawley Tariff” http://future.state.gov/when/timeline/1921_timeline/smoot_tariff.html
...

...﻿Cassie Creer
p. 3
10/9/2014
AP American HistoryEssay
The British North American colonies grew considerably between 1600 and 1763. Imports and exports across the Atlantic caused a constant demand for labor in the colonies. The British colonies supplied raw goods as well as some manufactured goods for countries around the world especially in Europe. As the demand for cash crops and raw materials from the Americas grew, the demand for labor also increased. Trans-Atlantic interactions fostered continuity in the demand for labor in the British North American colonies from 1600 to 1763 but also fostered changes in the sources of labor.
The harsh conditions for indentured servitude remained during this period. Indentured servants were treated basically as slaves and many, when freed, were unable to make a decent living for themselves with the small amount of land they were given. The government and society still viewed former indentured servants as inferior to the middle class colonial citizens. Indentured servants were the main source of labor, especially in the north, until Bacon’s rebellion. Nathanial Bacon in Jamestown led Bacon’s rebellion; this rebellion was brought about against the rule of Governor William Berkley. The immediate cause was Berkley’s refusal to retaliate against a number of recent Native American attacks on the frontier settlements, most of which were inhabited by former indentured servants. The long-term cause...

...
Art History Final Essay
May 1st, 2014
In the novel Seeing the Divine Image in India, Diana Eck’s interpretation of Darśan and the spirituality of Hinduism are quite extensive. Hinduism is a religion of great depth with many layers of symbolism, which are not always apparent to those who are unfamiliar with the religion. Hinduism places a lot of emphasis on the connection between nature and our five senses. A main part of Hinduism’s religious rituals is seeing one of the deities known as Darśan. It is important to be seen by deity and to see them.
Darśan in the novel is directly defined as “seeing” and in the Hindu tradition there is a main focus on religious seeing or visual perception of the sacred. When Hindus make a pilgrimage to the temple or worship, they are going to say, “I am going for Darśan”(Eck 1998, 3). In the Hindu religion, there is an emphasis on presenting yourself to the deity and to embrace their image as they see you. As you behold their image it is an act of worship, and you gain a blessing from the divine. They express that seeing the deity more than just seeing, it is more like “sacred seeing”.
Hindu worship is more than just prayers and offerings but more so the total religious worship of body and mind. Darśan involves more than just seeing the deity but worshippers receive Darśan from the locations they have occurred. Some worshippers walk or take transportation to where Darśan is held. Some locations are at the...

...﻿In what ways Reconstruction both a success and a failure?
Reconstruction result was a success in a way that the North and the South union to become The United State of America as well as African Americans received their freedom. Thirteen Amendment ended slavery for Black Southerners. There was around 4 millions slaves became freedmen in America. Freedmen now can not only have legal marriage but also receive “Families in freedom” which they could keep track of the family (GML, 549). Moreover, the black men finally received citizenship and guaranteed black suffrage by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendment respectively (GML 565, 567). Black men also participated in every level of government and senators by supporting of the Freedmen’s Bureau and Federal registration. Education was provided to everyone, especially for the black Southerner “the next best thing to liberty” (GML, 550); there was an expanding of churches and schools during the Reconstruction.
On the contrary, it was also a failure that “Blacks and the meaning of freedom” (GML, 548) was not yet obtained. The freedom was actually not equality because the blacks still suffered a lot from Black Codes, Sharecropping, Jim Craw’s legal segregation and threats from Ku Klux Klan aftermath. The reconstruction was a first failure of misgovernment. Due to the replacement for death of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson ruined the concept of liberty. Lands was taken over by the government and given to the White. Sharecropping...